“Unified Mobile, Financial, and Information Literacy Toolkit”: A Social Innovation for Public Libraries to Alleviate Poverty in Developing Countries

2022 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-86
Author(s):  
Devendra Potnis ◽  
Bhakti Gala
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Public Libraries

Influence of Information Literacy Competencies on Users of the Saulsville Public Library, South Africa

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rexwhite Tega Enakrire ◽  
Isaac Mpho Mothiba
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Information Discovery ◽  
Information Literacy Competencies

Information literacy competencies indicate the ability of an individual to apply a certain search strategy of information discovery, to understand its design, to value judgement, and to use it in various contents and contexts. The influence of information literacy competencies plays an important role in enabling information users to meet their information needs and prepares them for lifelong learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of information literacy competencies of users in the Saulsville public library, South Africa. The rationale was a lack of awareness and the inability of the users to find their information needs based on the task and decision at hand. The descriptive survey design adopted for this study made use of a questionnaire to collect data from 1 120 registered members of the Saulsville library. Of the 1 120 registered users being the population for the study, the authors purposively used 10 per cent (112 members) of the population as sample size. The findings revealed that users of the Saulsville public library had limited awareness and competencies of information literacy. The users were exposed to some form of library orientation and the use of library resources during their visit to the library. The findings further indicated that the users’ information literacy competencies were affirmed through the quality of information obtained and the satisfaction of library services rendered by library staff. The study recommends the acquisition of new technologies that could enhance users’ interactive information literacy training in public libraries and formal education settings.  

Adoption of E-Government in Africa

2014 ◽  
pp. 101-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priti Jain ◽  
Akakandelwa Akakandelwa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Present State ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Theoretical Underpinning ◽  
Government Services ◽  
The World ◽  
Citizen Empowerment

Increasingly, the importance of e-government is growing owing to higher quality delivery of government services, improved citizen empowerment through access to e-information, and better interactions between governments and their stakeholders. Despite all this recognition and appreciation of e-government, there is slow uptake and high failure of e-government in developing countries. A huge imbalance still remains between developed and developing countries, specifically in Africa because of numerous impediments. Africa lags far behind all other regions in the world. Some African countries have initiated e-government, such as Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa, yet others have not taken any initiative or are very slow in realizing its full take off, for instance, Tanzania, Botswana, and Zambia. In light of the above background, the main purpose of this chapter is to determine the challenges and based on the findings make recommendations for adoption of E-Government in Arica. The chapter reviews the theoretical underpinning of E-Government as a tool for modernizing public administration; examines the present state of e-government in Africa; highlights the challenges and barriers African countries encounter in their quest to develop E-Government; reviews the role of public libraries in E-Government, and finally, makes recommendations for E-Government adoption in Africa and other developing countries.

scholarly journals Unique or ubiquitous: information literacy instruction outside academia

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam L. Matteson ◽  
Beate Gersch
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Library Programming ◽  
Information Products ◽  
Academic School ◽  
Library Websites

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how US public libraries offer information literacy (IL) instruction to their patrons. Design/methodology/approach The study is a content analysis of eight library websites to determine passive IL instruction and active literacy instruction. Findings Library web guides offer passive IL instruction by highlighting resources patrons may wish to access to resolve information inquiries. Further, the authors found that a little less than 50 per cent of library programming offers some IL instruction, the majority of which relates to helping patrons learn to use tools to create information products. Originality/value IL is the ability to recognize the need for information, to effectively find information to meet that need and to use information for some purpose or goal. Academic, school and public libraries believe that understanding and using information critically and effectively bring gains to an individual and to society. However, they diverge in how and why they engage in IL instruction. The authors’ findings suggest that less than half of the libraries surveyed are providing active IL instruction, despite the recognition of the benefits IL provides.

Ethics of social innovation

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Knut J. Ims ◽  
Laszlo Zsolnai
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Local Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
The Common

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the main reasons for social innovations to be successful in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, four famous cases of social innovation are studied and contrasted in the following dimensions: goals, means and skills/resources needed by the user. Findings – Exemplary social innovations do not have profit as their primary objective but emphasize social, spiritual and humanitarian goals such as minimizing suffering, empowering people and strengthening local communities. Originality/value – The paper shows that sensitivity to local culture and an ethos for serving the common good are preconditions of successful and lasting social innovations by business.

scholarly journals Going beyond the 'library': the current work of the Scottish Information Literacy Project

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (102) ◽  
pp. 29-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Caskie Crawford ◽  
Christine Irving
Keyword(s):  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Current Work ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Literacy Training ◽  
National Information

Reviews briefly the origins of the Scottish Information Literacy Project from its origins in 2004 as a project solely devoted to developing a National Information Literacy Framework for Scotland to the present time. The project now encompasses workplace information literacy, the skills agenda, lifeong learning and media literacy. The article concentrates on current activity: the restructuring of the first draft of the Framework to make it a genuine lifelong learning document and the pursuit of the workplace agenda, following a successful research project. This now focuses strongly on having information literacy recognised as an essential workplace skill. Work is also being undertaken with public library partners to develop information literacy training in public libraries. The policy implications of the work are reviewed.

scholarly journals How can you tell if it’s working? Recent developments in impact evaluation and their implications for information literacy practice.

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Markless ◽  
David Streatfield
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Impact Evaluation ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Literacy Practice ◽  
Programme Theory ◽  
Literacy Support ◽  
Library Impact

This paper surveys the (patchy and uneven) advances in LIS impact evaluation over the past ten years and notes the surge forward in public library impact evaluation, before looking more broadly at international and educational impact evaluation scene and noting the advance of programme-theory driven approaches. The authors then identify various trends drawn from the wider evaluation discourse that they think are likely to be relevant to information literacy (IL) practitioners, academic staff, employers and others who are concerned with impact evaluation of IL work.The trends identified are:growing clarity about the levels of evaluation expertise needed to deliver information literacy support from the perspectives of leaders of LIS education programmes, staff of academic institutions, library leaders and managers and IL practitioners,growing interest in more inclusive or democratic approaches to impact evaluationthe limitations of the simple logic model of evaluationre-purposing of existing data to meet new evaluation needscollecting and presenting stories of change as impact evaluation evidence.Implications for IL practitioners are offered in relation to each of these trends. The authors then predict that over the next ten years there will be a strong focus on whether IL interventions are having an impact in combating misinformation and disinformation; more systematic and sustained approaches to IL impact evaluation in the health and higher education sectors but less so in some school libraries and other settings. They think that the more proactive public libraries will adopt IL evaluation approaches, that workplace IL will continue to depend upon the organisational culture, and that research on information seeking in context will shed light on evaluation priorities. Finally, they hope that future IL work will be underpinned by programme theory-based evaluation. 

scholarly journals Practices and thinking of public libraries in China during COVID-19

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522110460
Author(s):  
Zhou Xin
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
New Media ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Library Services ◽  
National Library ◽  
Online Services ◽  
Collaborative Development ◽  
National Library Of China

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, libraries in China closed their doors in early 2020 and moved all their services online. This change has brought unprecedented challenges for the development of library services, while it has also brought opportunities and motivation for the future transformation of libraries. This article uses official WeChat accounts of the National Library of China and more than 30 provincial public libraries as the main information sources to summarize and classify the services provided during the period of closure. It also collates and analyses news items released by these libraries to guide the improvement of the online services of public libraries in the pandemic environment. Finally, it puts forward the author’s reflections and suggestions on the key development directions of libraries in the post-pandemic era in six areas: reading promotion, smart libraries, new media operation, information literacy cultivation, open access and collaborative development.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document